Buying Late-Model Corvettes - C5 C6 Buyers' Guide

Everything You Need To Know To Buy Your Next C5/C6

Buying a used C5 or C6, like buying any used car, can be a daunting proposition. But because of the Corvette's high profile and reputation as a premiere performance vehicle, some extra caution and due diligence is in order when shopping for one. In researching this article, I consulted Ron DeSmedt, the owner of Contemporary Corvette in Bristol, PA (www.contemporarycorvette.com), to elicit his views and advice on what to look for and what to stay away from when shopping for a C5 or a C6. In addition to running one of the largest Corvette boneyards in the country, Ron has been in the business of buying and selling Corvettes for more than a decade and is one of the earliest pioneer sellers on eBay Motors, so he knows whereof he speaks. He was kind and generous enough to share his wealth of knowledge with us here.

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Determining If The Car Has Been Front Hit
When Corvettes are involved in accidents, more often than not the collision damage occurs to the front of the car.

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From 1997 through 2004 GM put the VIN number on the front right side framerail, and from 1997 through 2002 it was also on the front bar as well. So to determine if the car has been hit in the front, the most critical thing to look for is the VIN number on the front right side framerail (and front bar, if applicable). This VIN number has to coincide exactly with the VIN number appearing on the dash plate. Now, if the car was front hit-even a little bit-it would distort the VIN number. Even if the repair facility straightened out the framerail and cleaned it all up, the distortion to the VIN number would still be apparent. And if the front bar or the side framerail had been replaced, the VIN number will not be on it; hence, if the number is distorted or missing, this is proof-positive that the car has been hit in the front.

Replaced Panels
C5s and C6s are, in effect, unibody constructed, because the body is bonded to the framerails. It's not like the earlier generations of Corvettes where the body could be unbolted and lifted right off the frame-these latter-generation Corvettes are mated and bonded to the frames on the assembly line with a special epoxy that can't be reproduced by aftermarket adhesive makers in the exact same color as that used by GM. Hence, any collision repairs are fairly easy to detect by the discerning eye by checking the bonding lines where the epoxy adhesive shows. An easy place to check for this is on the bonding lines of the inner fenders in the engine bay.

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Car History Checking
Checking out the prospective purchase with CarFax (www.carfax.com)is good, but not infallible. According to DeSmedt, if a previous owner had an accident and didn't report it (to keep insurance premiums down), then there would be no record of the collision for Carfax to report. He says that another good reporting service is AutoCheck (www.autocheck.com). Very often things will show up on AutoCheck that don't on CarFax. One of the auctions he regularly buys at in Mannheim, PA, only honors AutoCheck reports and disregards CarFax reports. He advises that if you're very suspicious of a prospective vehicle or if you really want to be cautious before making a purchase that you get reports from both agencies.

The factory door sticker should still be on the driver's side outer door jamb; if it's not, the door has most probably been replaced. And, of course, the VIN number on the sticker should match the VIN of the car as well-if the numbers don't match, it's a replacement door. But this sticker is only affixed to the driver's side door-there isn't any on the passenger door. But don't let the fact that a door has been replaced put you off buying the car-it shouldn't. The presence of the correct door sticker is just a way of knowing that the door hasn't been replaced- and if it isn't there, it's a way of gauging the "honest disclosure" of the seller.

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There really aren't any indicators with regards to VIN numbers when it comes to the rear of the car, but, as stated earlier, most of the time the collisions occur to the front of the vehicle anyway.

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Buying Late-Model Corvettes - C5 C6 Buyers' Guide

With the 2010s arriving on the dealers' lots daily, you can get a great deal on a 2009 and some dealers may even have a 2008 leftover or two. It's a buyers' market these days, so be prepared to haggle to get the absolute best price.

From 1998 through 2002 the VIN was stamped on both the front frame crossmember (in front of the radiator) as well as on the right front framerail (visible if you look down in front of the radiator with the hood open). However, all C5s and C6s have their VIN on the right front frame rails, and if it is missing or distorted it is evidence that the car was involved in a front-end collision.

Oozing epoxy adhesive is irrefutable evidence of a collision that resulted in a fender replacement; factory adhesive applications never look like this and are difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate off the assembly line.

The driver's door on C5s and C6s will always have the original factory sticker with the cars VIN on it; if this number doesn't match or the sticker is missing; it indicates that the door probably has been replaced.

To establish the going price for C5s and C6s, check out the completed auctions on eBay motors. Green indicates successful sales, whereas red indicates vehicles that didn't sell. Be sure to compare apples to apples, however; e.g., don't compare the prices for a 2002 Z06 to those for a 2000 coupe.

Shopping at the local Chevy dealer's used car lot for a C5 or a C6 can often yield a nice ride that comes with a warranty as well.

Check out the local newspaper automotive classifieds-here's a pair of C5s the owner has to sell fast after losing his job so he can maintain his mortgage payments.

This 2001 C5 with a little over 53K miles is loaded with all the goodies, is an automatic, and the asking price is under $24K; that means the dealer is willing to negotiate.

Low-mileage C6s can be had quite reasonably if you know where to look and how to bargain shrewdly. Dealers want to move cars, so they're more than willing to talk price and negotiate.

With less than 3,500 miles on it, this loaded black 2008 C6 coupe has an asking price of $43K. But that's the asking price-reasonable offers would certainly be considered rather than have a potential customer leave the lot without buying a Corvette these days.

Another bargain you can snatch up if you have cash in hand, this Z06 look-alike started out as a convertible but now has a targa roof-and twin turbos, to boot!

The sign proclaims to all that Kerbeck is indeed the world's largest Corvette dealer, although used C5s and C6s are particularly scarce at the Atlantic City, NJ, dealership these days.

The Grand Sport hash marks on the fender are a unique treatment for this C5 coupe that's currently up for sale on the New Jersey shore.

This lone C6 coupe was the only used Corvette offering available at Kerbeck the day these photos were taken, and somebody was already negotiating its sale with one of the staffers.

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